Saturday, February 17, 2007

'08 should be big year for I-80 repair

Summer, 2008 should see the start of the long-awaited, $124 million reconstruction of Interstate 80 in Solano County. When it's all over after a couple years of work, the huge potholes that keep opening in the concrete slabs should be no problem for at least two decades.

In addition, Solano County will have its first carpool lanes.. The state Department of Transportation made $2 million in emergency repairs last year, replacing some 250 concrete slabs in the Fairfield-Vacaville area that had the worst damage. Still, that only scratched the surface. Caltrans has three I-80 renovation projects planned for the county. They are:

● The 15-mile stretch between Highway 12 near central Fairfield and a mile east of Leisure Town Road near Vacaville. The latest cost estimate is $77.2 million.

● The 3.4-mile stretch between Green Valley Creek near Cordelia and American Canyon Road in the hills between Fairfield and Vallejo. The cost is $21.8 million.

● The four-mile stretch between Tennessee Street in Vallejo and American Canyon Road at a cost of $25.3 million. Work on the Fairfield-to-Vacaville section could begin in 2008, with the part between Air Base Parkway and Leisure Town Road coming first..